World's worth
by Musashi Den
Summary: Jin learns what is really important after he is taken out of his comfort zone and thrust into life along side a girl who can siphon off Devil energy. OCxcanon
1. Chapter 1

Worlds Worth

Jin sighed after he stepped off the helicopter, a group of six people in his wake. As he stepped onto the elevator the group diminished to just four. As he made his way through the halls of his private home the group grew smaller still until there was only one set of a foot steps following his. That of his somewhat trusted body guard Nina - she wouldn't leave his side until he reached his bedroom. Along the way he shed his coat - haphazardly tossing it on the railing for the stairs. He didn't even turn to see if one of his servants got it. Right now there was one thing on his mind. Sleep.

He had been going for days. Checking on leads. Organizing strike teams. Budget meetings. His list of things to do seemed never ending. But for today, they were. The only task to complete was to take a shower and get some much needed rem. His ears perked up when he walked by one of the bedrooms. He slowed down as he passed it. He glanced at his watch and then at the door again. Nina nearly tripped over him when he suddenly doubled back. He opened the door a crack and peeked inside. The girl sitting in front of the computer on the other side of the room didn't notice his spying. She was listening intently to the person talking on the screen in front of her.

"...so then he just jumps, clear off the bike and lands in the bushes. The bike keeps going for all of three feet before it completely bursts into flames and explodes!" The girl on the screen said, the web cam catching her dramatic movements as she told her story. "So get this, the bushes catches on fire but this idiot doesn't even realize it until it's caught on to his sleeve." The girl laughed.

"So, what's the diagnosis this time?" She asked as she shifted her weight from one elbow to the other.

"Second degree burns. A skin infection from the pricker bush he fell in. And despite those ridiculous boots he wears, he stubbed his big toe and bent the nail backwards on his pinky.

"Ew."

"Yeah he's like a mutilated piece of jerky right now. And lucky me I get to take care of him." She said sarcastically. A fake smile plastered on her face for a second.

"Cas...I can't reach my back." Came a whine from off camera. She rolled her eyes.

"Serves you right. I should just let you suffer!"

"Jebal. Jebal jagiya..." Came another call.

"Want to switch places? Can I live in a mansion and you take care of this fool?" the girl asked.

"I wish." She replied. The girl on the screen suddenly looked up, spotting Jin behind her.

"Your warden heard us." She laughed. She looked over her shoulder and Jin pretended he was just now coming into the room. He cleared his throat.

"I gotta go." She said. "Say hi to papa for me."

"I know. I will. Bye, Max. Bye Jin."

"Cassandra." Jim addressed her with a nod. She waved before her screen went black. The girl in the chair turned around and forced a smile.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" She asked almost sarcastically.

"Are you still mad at me?" Jin asked as he knelt down in front of her. He put his hands on her knees and smiled at her.

"Can I still not leave?" She answered his question with another question and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Max, we've been over that. And every time we go over it again - you tell me you understand but somehow you still end up hating me by the end of the day." Jin said.

"I'm tired of you treating me like some little porcelain doll. My father is one of the greatest fighters in the world. Hell, I made it to the final round in the last tournament - what could possibly happen to me if you just let me go to the movies or shopping or at the very least to see my family?"

"Whether or not you can protect yourself is not what I'm worried about. You made it to the final round by leveling half of the fighting arenas and putting your opponents in traction. You can't control your powers. Which means if you exhaust yourself using them it'll make you easy pickings for..." He took her hand. "For anyone that might take you away from me." Her heart sank when he admitted his fears. He pressed his face into the palm of her hand - nuzzling her skin and tickling the space between her fingers when he sighed.

"Who could possibly do that?" She asked as she ran her free hand through his hair reassuringly. He leaned into her touch when her fingers caressed his cheek. She cupped his chin and made him look up at her. She pulled her other hand from his grip and used it to sweep his bangs out of his face. "You look terrible," she blurted out when she saw the bags under his eyes. He snorted. "What are you doing that is running you ragged like this?"

"Budget meetings." He answered truthfully. She laughed. "I'm serious, they are murder." She took his wrist and looked as his watch. 3 a.m. She had been talking to her sister longer than she thought. She sighed as she stood up - with a persistent tug she pulled Jin to his feet. He staggered for a second - an obvious ruse to get his hands on her by pretending to steady himself by grabbing hold of her waist. "Oops." He feigned innocence.

"I thought you were tired." Max inquired as she eyed him. He bit his bottom lip as he pulled her closer.

"I got a second wind." He said as he pulled her towards the door. Max smiled sheepishly at Nina as they passed her and started down the hallway. Just a few steps and they reached the double doors of the master suite. Max sighed as she let go of Jin's hand. He opened the door and stood in the frame as Nina came and stood between them.

"Good evening Ms. San."

"Good evening Nina." Max returned her pleasantries as she spread her arms and legs.

"Have you been outside the premises today?" Nina asked as she began patting Max down.

"No." She answered and shot Jin a glare.

"Have you had any interaction with non-Zaibatsu personnel, visitors, received a delivery or witnessed any suspicious activity around you?" Nina asked.

"Only talked to my sister today." Max answered like she had been asked a million times. Really it was closer to just a hundred and fifty. She had to go through this routine every night if she wanted to enter Jin's bedroom. A barrage of security questions and a rather invasive pat down by Jin's personal bodyguard. Nina had a light enough touch and it was nothing serious, like a cavity search - it was just tedious. Even time Max thought Jin would stop Nina and tell her not to bother but apparently he still didn't trust her. Or care enough to spare her the humiliation.

"Her clearance number?" Nina asked - as if she didn't already know it.

"029843-KIv7." Max sighed. She jumped slightly when Nina squeezed under her breasts. Jin tried not to stare or laugh but he couldn't help himself. "This doesn't count as foreplay." she said. Nina snickered as she moved around to Max's back and continued the pat down.

"Have you been unconscious at any point in the day - where you do not remember falling asleep?"

"No."

"Anything else to declare?"

"Are we done?"

"You're clear. Have a nice night, Ms. San. Mr. Kazama."

"Good night Nina." Jin said as she turned and walked down the hall. Jin pulled Max inside and closed the door. Trapping her against it once it was shut. "I'm sorry about that." He leaned in to kiss her but she turned her head to the side.

"If you're so damn sorry, how about you tell her it's not necessary." Max said before she pushed him out of the way. She moved to the small bar in the corner of his room and poured herself a drink.

"You know I have to be careful—

"Well, you should know by now that I'm not trying to hurt you." She said before she took a large sip. Jin frowned – ever since he took over the company he had been holding everyone at arms length. It really wasn't fair to treat Max like some woman he picked up off the street for the night. His mother had taught him better than that. He felt ashamed – something else his mother had taught him to feel when he did something wrong. "I mean, if I was going to try something don't you think I would've done it by now?"

"Max, I—" He cut himself off when she dropped the glass. It shattered around her feet. "Max?" She suddenly collapsed to the floor and started convulsing. "Max!" he rushed to her and held her head still so she wouldn't knock it against the bar. Jin balked when he saw pink tinged foam seeping out of the corner of her mouth. "Nina!" he yelled. Seconds later she burst into the room, gun drawn. "Get the chopper started. We need to get her to a hospital."

* * *

Max opened her eyes a crack. For the moment it was all she could muster. She felt so heavy and weak. She could hear the low beep of a heart monitor as well as the whirl of other machines. There was an offbeat clicking sound coming from next to her. She used all her strength to turn her head and opened her eyes a little wider when she spotted Jin sitting next to her bed. He was typing away on his cell phone. He looked more haggard than the last time she had seen him – a thick five o clock shadow growing along his jaw. His eyes were squinted and the dark circles underneath had gotten darker and were joined by bloodshot corneas.

"Hey." She rasped out. It made him jump – like he wasn't expecting her to talk.

"Max." He sighed as he got up and leaned over her. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She hissed – her skin was overly sensitive to the touch. She knew the strength he had and also knew he wasn't using any of it to hold her hand. Despite that her bones felt like they were going to break. "Thank God. How do you feel?"

"Like shit." She answered. She coughed to clear her throat. "What happened?"

"What I always feared." Jin answered. "Someone managed to get in the compound and poison my alcohol." Max trembled. The last thing she remembered was reaching for the decanter that held the brandy Jin liked the most. She wished she could recall if it tasted out of the ordinary.

"Who could've?" she asked. Security was so tight it could only be a few people. The cleaning staff, Nina, Jin and Max were the only ones allowed in that room.

"The list is longer than you think. I've got Nina on it." He assured her. She looked him over again.

"Have you left since I—

"No." Jin answered. "I don't trust anyone on my team to look after you right now. And as soon as you're well enough to travel I'm sending you to stay with your sister. It's not safe here anymore."

"The irony." Max scoffed. She cleared her throat again and he moved away from the bed for a second. He got her a cup of water before moving back. She tried to take it from him but she could barely lift her arm. Seeing this he just held it up to her mouth. After a few sips he took it away. "So, what was it? Seeing how I'm alive I'm guessing they knew what the poison was."

"Meperidine hydrochloride." Jin answered. Max just looked at him. "It's found in a pain killer called Demerol. There was an uncut, high dosage in the decanter. There shouldn't be any lasting damage. A day or two on the I.V.'s should have it flushed out of your system. Luckily, you only had one sip. If you had taken the whole shot…." He trailed off. He was noticeably unnerved. And she supposed it was understandable. His drink was usually bigger than the ones she had. If the devil gene hadn't protected her against it, then it wouldn't have protected him either. "At any rate I won't have you catching any more of my bullets."

"Jin." Max started. She reached for his hand and he quickly grabbed hers. "You should come with me." He smiled a little.

"Maybe for a few days." He said. "I hear Korea is nice this time of year." He looked at his phone when he vibrated. He pressed a button and put it to his ear. "Kazama." As he listened to who ever was on the other end he played with her fingers – threading his through them and rubbing the back of her hand on his stubble. "Well handle it. I'm busy." He rolled his eyes before he reached over and pressed the call button for the nurse. "I'm leaving the country for a few days….no right now….no, I'll make the arrangements myself." He hung up just as the nurse came in. "Yes?" "We're leaving." He told her out right.

Max was in and out of consciousness after that. One minute only the nurse was standing there talking to Jin. Then when she opened her eyes there was a doctor there too. The next time she woke up she was being moved. The gurney was moving fast and there were several packs of interferon on the bed next to her. All she could see of Jin was his back as he helped wheel the gurney out of the hospital. The next time she woke she wasn't in a hospital bed, or any bed she recognized. She sat up, moving easier this time. When she looked around she realized she was on a plane. The sound of the engines giving her a slight headache. "Jin?" She called out and half a second later he came through the curtains that led to the rest of the tiny private plane. "Where are we?"

"On our way to Korea." Jin said as he presented a bag of interferon. She looked at the needle in her hand and followed the line up to the empty bag, hanging on a coat hook next to the bed. "Should be landing in about half an hour."

"You know what you're doing?" she asked as she watched him change the bag.

"It's not rocket science." He said. After hooking everything up he opened the drip valve. She laid back and looked at him.

"You're amazing." Max sighed. Jin snorted.

"You've never told me that with my clothes on before. I'm flattered." He admitted. She smiled. "You should get some sleep." She said as she moved over. Jin shrugged his jacket off and put it over her before laying down beside her. "Wake me up when we land." Jin said. He handed her his cell phone and closed his eyes. He smiled again when she kissed him.

* * *

Jin put his sunglasses on as he stepped out of the car. It was a little conspicuous to have a chauffeured town car in such a moderate suburban neighborhood but neither he nor Max was in any condition to drive. Despite being poisoned she nearly jumped out of the car when they came to a stop in front of a house. Cassandra was already outside at the end of the driveway. She ran to Max and hugged her – letting out a high-pitched scream when she did. "You look terrible." She blurted out as she looked over Max's pale face.

"Yeah, being poisoned is a real energy drain." She said. Cassandra glared at Jin as he moved closer.

"You call this protection?" she asked angrily. Jin opened his mouth and then shut it. She had a right to her anger. He had done a shitty job of keeping Max safe. He had become too confident that someone would find the compound, much less make it all the way into his bedroom to taint his private liquor. He had been relying on security too much – it had made him soft. He fully intended to use the next few days to train a much as he could. Cassandra showed them inside. As soon as Jim walked through the door he spotted Hwoarang laying on the couch in the living room.

"The fuck-?" Hwoarang said.

"You two know each other?" Cassandra asked.

"We're not staying here." Jin said point blank.

"We?" Cassandra looked at him.

"Ah, you're here." Baek said. They all looked at the stairs when he made his appearance. Hwoarang grimaced as he tried to sit upright. Jin bowed politely when Baek approached him.

"Sir."

"But, why are you here?" Baek asked a little annoyed.

"Dad, we had a bit of trouble at the compound." Max interjected. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"You look awful." He said bluntly. She rolled her eyes.

"I was poisoned." She admitted. Baek shot Jin a glare. "There is someone gunning for Jin. And since he has gone through the trouble of protecting me I owe him the same." She reached over and grabbed his hand. "If he's not welcome here, then neither am I."

"Maxine, you will always be welcome." Baek said as he took her by the shoulders. "This is your home."

"Thanks, dad." She let go of Jin to hug him.

"I'm sure you are tired." Baek said.

"I know the way to my room." She said before she looked back at Jin. "Come on." Jin ignored Hwoarang's glare as he followed Max upstairs. Right now the other man was irrelevant. It had been nearly forty-eight hours since he last slept. The cat nap he had gotten on the plane was not restful at all. His shoulders were tense and his neck was stiff. The bags in his hands felt like they weighed three times what they really did. He looked up at Max when she started talking. "I know you're used to more lavish surroundings but I think my old bed will hold both of us. I mean it's not the California king we usually—

"Anything would be fine at this point. This place is quiet and you are here with me." He said. When he stepped into her room he suddenly felt very large. Clearly she hadn't lived in it since she was in her teens. The walls were covered with boy band posters and martial arts ribbons and awards. The bedspread was an awful, bright, flowery pink. The surface of which was half covered by stuffed animals. Jin frowned at it. What on earth made her think they could both fit in a full size bed? "I misspoke." He quipped.


	2. Chapter 2

World's Worth chapter 2

Max looked at Jin when he snorted in his sleep. He appeared to be having a dream – his eye lashes fluttered a bit and his fingers twitched. Apparently his mind had rested enough for him to dream. For the first few hours he just laid there like he was dead. Save for his even breathing he didn't move – so deep in slumber that he even started to drool a little. She smiled before she went back to reading her book. They had been able to fit in the bed, although Jin's bulk took up a majority of it. But she wasn't concerned with sleep right now. She had gotten a lot of it in the hospital. She looked at her room door when she heard a murmur outside, followed by the faint creak of floorboards.

"…" She dog-eared her book before she shut it and set aside. She didn't even need to be careful as she shifted out of bed. Jin just continued to snore as she moved out into the hall. "Cassandra." She whispered her sister's name when she found her creeping down the hall. She jumped and turned around. Cassandra just put her finger to her lips and indicated that she wanted Max to follow her downstairs. She didn't need to be told Cassandra was sneaking out – it had been a regular practice of theirs in their teens. Their father went to bed early and the neighboring city held a lot of excitement for frustrated, post pubescent fighters.

"We're going out to have some fun. You in?" she asked in a hushed tone once they were downstairs in the kitchen.

"We?" Max asked. As if on cue Hwoarang came into the kitchen pulling his jacket on. "I don't know. If Jin wakes up and I'm not there—"

"Screw him." Hwoarang said.

"The boy has got a point, Maxy. When was the last time you went anywhere without him or one of his goons following you?" Cassandra said. Max bit her bottom lip. The thrill of going to the city made the teenager in her scream 'do it!'

"Lemme get dressed." She said before she quietly ran upstairs. She returned less than two minutes later in a pair of jeans and white t-shirt. She tucked her phone into the back pocket and smiled. "Let's go."

Less than ten minutes later they arrived in the city – parked the car in a safe place and hit the streets. There were a few places still open – mostly bars. They ate Kim chi and drank a few beers before going in search of fun. They found it in the form of a fight ring under an over pass. The guy keeping watch looked at them. His gaze lingered on Cassandra for a long moment and Hwoarang hissed through his teeth. He rolled his eyes and let them pass.

They watched the fights for a while, sizing up the competition before Hwoaang took his turn in the ring. The guy got one lucky punch to Hwoarang's side – and if it had't already been injured by his bike accident it wouldn't have hurt at all. The pain made Hwoarang sink to his knee for a second. When the guy came at him Hwoarang floored him with a high kick to the chin. Next Cassandra fought against another woman – a boxer by the look of her stance. Cassandra laid her out with a sweeping kick and won the match with a D.D.T. The next contender was a man.

"He looks familiar." Cassandra said. She wondered where she had ever seen a businessman wearing sneakers before. She stared at his face, specifically the scar going across it and tried to remember his name. She shrugged it off. She had come across a lot of mobsters, drug dealers and pimps since she started hanging out with Hwoarang – they tended to dress like him and have some sort of scar or tattoo on their face.

"Who will fight this man?"

"Me!" Hwoarang and Cassandra looked at Max sharply when she volunteered for the next fight.

"Whoa there, honey." Hwoarang said as he grabbed her arm. "If you come back with a black eye both your pops and your boyfriend will blame me."

"Well then I guess I better not get hit." Max said as she shrugged out of his grip. Cassandra looked a little worried as Max strolled into the ring. She looked the man up and down. He did seem familiar which was odd for her. She hadn't been outside the compound in four years. But this man… there was something about him. The longer she looked she began to see an aura around him. Like blue and purple flames – licking around him, accentuating his spiky hair. He smirked and Max felt a jolt run through her. Not unlike how it felt when she looked into Jin's eyes and he gave her the same kind of cocky smile.

"Do I know you?" He asked as he uncrossed his arms. He looked her up and down. She seemed to be radiating energy. He wondered if anyone else could see the white and red waves that flowed around her. He suddenly felt something – like a tug on his chest. His scar was pulsing. He took a step closer and all at once he felt like he was being drained through his scar. The manic scratching of the devil beneath his skin petering off – flowing out towards her. She gasped as if she could feel it too. Like a warm current – it flowed up her thighs to her core. It made her head spin. She reached out when the world tilted beneath her. She caught his arm and yelped when the force intensified ten fold.

"Ah!" She yelped when he put his hand on her hip to keep her from falling over.

"What the hell is going on?" Hwoarang asked. To him and everyone else it looked like Max was going to start making out with the guy. They were holding each other and looking into each others eyes like they were on the cover of a romance novel.

"I knew keeping her locked up would drive her crazy." Cassandra said to Hwoarang.

"Is she normally this slutty? Cause if she is…" He trailed off and smirked. He bit his bottom lip when Cassandra elbowed him in the side – upsetting his raw skin.

"No she's not. Something's wrong." She answered.

"Is this one of those 'devil gene' things you were telling me about?" He asked. Cassandra gasped – it hadn't even dawned on her until now. She suddenly realized who the man was.

"That's Kazuya Mishima." She hissed quietly.

"Aww shit." Hwoarang said as he ran his hand through his hair. He grabbed it in frustration. He should've recognized him right away – Kazuya beat him, nearly to death two tournaments ago. Plus the hair should've been a give away – it was the same stupid cowlick that Jin had. Cassandra looked around when the crowd started to get restless over the lack of fighting. "This is bad. This is really bad. We need to get out of here, Hwoarang."

"I'll punch him, you grab Max and run like hell – don't stop until you get to the car." He said.

"That's easier said than done. What about the other fighters?" She asked. He could hear the panic start to rise in her voice. Max and Kazuya seemed to be going deeper into their trans.

"Well—" Everyone looked up when the flash of blue lights flooded the dim area.

"Police! Nobody move!" came a booming voice.

"Perfect!" Hwoarang said as he grabbed Cassandra. "Let's go." They ran towards the ring but Kazuya snapped out of his daze. His eyes went red and his forehead slit open down the middle. He picked up Max and bolted in the opposite direction.

"No!" Cassandra yelled and grabbed his shirt. "Don't take her!" He flinched when she touched him and instinctively flung his arm back. His fist connected with her nose and she yelped as she went tumbling back. She landed at Hwoarang's feet and he stopped short trying not to trip over her.

"Cas!"

"Stop him!" she yelled. But by the time Hwoarang looked up Kazuya was nowhere to be found.

"Shit." He yelled as he helped Cassandra up. A cop grabbed him and he round housed the officer into a nearby fence. "We gotta go."

"But—

"Now, Cas!" He haled her off the ground and ran – dragging her behind him. A few cops chased them but they couldn't keep up. Hwoarang dashed down alleyways, into abandoned buildings and up fire escapes before he noticed no one was following them anymore. He let go of Cassadra's arm and she steadied herself on the ledge of the building.

"This is bad. This is really bad." She repeated.

* * *

Max blinked. The world came back into focus and she sighed. She was aware that something had happened but not what exactly. She rubbed her eyes, they were dry like they had been open the entire time she had been blacked out. She looked around and found she wasn't even laying down. Someone had sat her on top of a crate.

"What the hell are you?" She jumped when a man's voice echoed in the dark warehouse. She watched him walk out of the shadows and instinctively reached for her cell phone. He didn't say anything as he held it up and waved it back and forth. "And why do you have the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu in your contact list under the name 'Dumpling'?" he asked as he started to go through it. "Oh, it's also the password for your photo gallery…"

"Stop!" She yelled and lounged for him. He dodged her, along with the kick and the punch she threw his way.

"After what happened at the fight ring I wouldn't advise touching me." Kazuya said. He held up his hand. "I won't look at it if you stay at least an arms length away."

"Deal." She said. He pressed end but he slipped it into his pocket.

"Are you a 'Project Mutate' survivor?" He asked.

"I don't know what that is." She answered.

"How can I be sure you're telling the truth?"

"Because why would I lie to the guy that kidnapped me. I'm trying to keep you occupied until I spot an exit." She said. He noticed her eyes flicked to the side for a second.

"Okay. Then what are you?"

"A person." He lifted an eye brow. "Female. Twenty years old. Half Korean, half Japanese. Fully confused. What are you?" she asked.

"Devil." He answered. She took a step back. "But most people call me Kazuya Mishima." Her eyebrows shot up. "I'm um… 'Dumplings' father. Now do you want to tell me why you have 50 pictures of him naked in your phone and why you can absorb my energy." She glared at him. "You were zoned out for an hour, I had to do something. You have a serious oral fixation don't you?"

"That's it." She growled and lounged at him. This time he didn't dodge her. He grabbed her by the bicep and held her still. They both looked a little shocked when nothing happened. There was no pull of energy. Not even a hint of the waves they had surrounded them before. "The magic has died." She said before she snatched her phone out of his pocket. He grabbed her wrist and she kneed him in the crotch. He fell to the ground like a ton of bricks and she bolted from the warehouse. "Fuck, I'm gonna die." She said as she loaded the GPS feature on her phone. She kept running even though she didn't hear Kazuya following her. Her phone let her know she wasn't that far from where they left the car so she went there.

Max tried not cry when she found the parking spot empty. She dialed Cassandra's phone and she picked up on the third ring. "Thank God – we were just about to wake up Jin." Cassandra whispered. "Where are you?"

"In the parking deck where we left the car. Cassandra wake Jin up, now!" Max yelled.

"Max you said—" Cassandra jerked her phone away from her ear when Max screamed.

"Oh shit, we're in trouble." Hwoarang said when he heard it. They both yelped when Jin suddenly sprang up in bed.

"Max?" He looked at Cassandra and Hwoarang – wondering why they were in the room. He could hear Max's voice but he couldn't see her. He jumped up and snatched the phone from Cassandra. "Max! Where are you?"

"Jin help me—AHH!" The line went dead like the phone had been destroyed. Jin suddenly bolted from the room.

"Wait." Cassandra rushed after him. "You'll need the keys to the car. They are—!" She gasped when she caught sight of Jin through the open back door. His skin turned black and grew ridges. As soon as his wings burst from his back he took off – the force of which sent grass and dirt fluttering into the kitchen.

"What have you done to me?" Kazuya growled. Max just paced backward from the deformed man. Half of his face seemed to be shedding black scales. He stumbled when his half formed wings fluttered – seemingly on their own. He grabbed her with his clawed hands and jerked. The pull returned with ten times the force it had before when they were at the fight ring. He seemingly returned to normal. Max however sprouted horns. And her claws prang out so fast they shredded the front of his shirt. Kazuya tried to pull away from her but he suddenly felt weak. He hadn't felt this way since Heihachi dangled him over the cliff. The bone chilling fear ran through him as she roared at him – showing off her sharp canines and practically breathing the fires of hell in his face.

In a flash he was tumbling across the concrete. He caught himself and glared at the dark figure in front of him. Jin paid him no attention. As soon as he landed Max shot her eye lasers at him. They struck him in the head and when he went down it shot through the roof of the parking deck.

"Max! Stop!" Jin said. It appeared she couldn't. Jin sighed and moved behind her. With a nicely placed strike to her neck she went out like a light. Kazuya watched as Jin collected her – it was pretty much all he could do beside breathe. He didn't even give Kazuya a second glance before he took off.

* * *

"You're weak." Baek said as he glared at the four troublesome young adults avoiding his gaze. "All of you – disgustingly so. Instead of coffee this morning I get a visit from police. Asking me about my resident delinquents and what they have to do with a busted fight ring and a demolished parking garage."

"Daddy, the whole thing is a huge misunderstanding." Cassandra said giving him the best puppy dog look she could muster. Hwoarang rolled his eyes. Baek seemed to be swayed by it for a moment but he looked away.

"You two in particular." Baek said as he glared at Jin and Hwoarang. "You promised to protect my daughter. It seems the more she is involved with you the worse this whole thing gets."

"I apologize." Jin said. "I thought if I kept her…contained it would help her but it seems to have made her more incompetent."

"More incompetent? Fuck you." Max snapped as she stood up. Jin looked at her surprised. Max had never cursed at him like that. He didn't know she was capable of it. "If you had told me that your father had this fucking devil thing or better yet – told me he was alive, last night wouldn't have happened."

"If you hadn't gone into town with these two idiots – last night wouldn't have happened." Jin said.

"I agree with Max. Fuck you!" Cassandra snapped.

"Seconded." Hwoarang said.

"So I'm just supposed to do what? Sit by your side for the rest of my life because there's a chance I'll run into your father at a fight club? Screw that I'd rather be his guinea pig than your door mat."

"Max—

"Don't even!" She interrupted him. "If you had been training me instead of keeping me as your prize pig then maybe I would know how to control this shit by now. And I wouldn't need you to swoop in and save me."

"Look I know—

"No, you don't." Max said. "Get out." His eyes went wide and he stood up.

"Max, don't do this." He pleaded.

"Leave!" She yelled. Her voice trembling with a demonic growl. Jin just glared at her before he stormed out the door.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" Cassandra asked as she glanced at Max. It came as surprise when she wanted to go shopping the next day. Cassandra thought for sure she'd sulk about ending her relationship with Jin but Max just smiled and said she refused to care about it. Cassandra noticed there were some men following them – undoubtedly they worked for Jin. Old habits died hard. Cassandra wondered if Max was putting on a brave face so they'd go back and tell the man Max was happy without him.

"I'm fine." Max assured her. "I could go for some frozen yogurt though. You want?" she offered. Cassandra shook her head and Max shrugged before she headed for an ice cream vendor. Cassandra sighed when Hwoarang walked up.

"She seems cheerful, considering what happened yesterday." He said.

"She's miserable." Cassandra said.

"How can you tell?"

"I swear. Men are so blind. When a woman says she's fine – nine times out of ten it means she's dying inside." Cassandra said.

"Women who are dying inside don't go shopping and eat frozen yogurt. They sulk in their pajamas all day and eat fried chicken." Hwoarang said – matter of fact. Cassandra rolled her eyes at him. "And women who wants to get away from their nosy little sisters say they're going for frozen yogurt and then give them the slip."

"What?" When Cassandra looked towards the vendor Max was nowhere to be seen. She sighed. "Damn it."

"It's her first time out in what – three years? Let her go. She knows her way back to the house. And from what you told me about her, she can take care of herself." Hwoarang said. "Let's go get a beer." Cassandra sighed again.

"Okay."

* * *

Max frowned as she spotted another one of Jin's guards pretending like he wasn't watching her. Even when she gave him the boot she couldn't get rid of him. Part of her regretted throwing him out. He really had been trying to help her. But in the past week she had been poisoned and met the demonic father she didn't know he had. It might have something to do with the energy she absorbed for Kazuya. Her tolerance level took a sudden nose dive and she found the thoughts in her head were more focused on her and things she wanted to do. Like ditching Cassandra and Hwoarang. She loved her sister but she wanted to be alone.

"Hey." She looked up when someone addressed her. She smirked when she saw Kazuya.

"You again." She said. "You got a death wish?"

"Well, I've already died before so while death is not something I wish for I find that I don't care." He said. "I won't bite if you don't."

"What do you want?" she asked as she crossed her arms.

"Same thing as you. Information." He said. "And somewhere _they_ won't be spying." He canted his head towards the guard that was now pretending to talk on his cell phone.

"Get rid of them and I'll tell you everything I know." She said. Kazuya put his hand to his forehead, like he was shielding his eyes from the sun. He looked at the guard and shot his eye beams – it hit him right in the head and he went down. Kazuya reached over and grabbed Max's hand. They both looked down when there was no pull of energy. He just smirked and led her down the crowded street.

* * *

"…I got the gene same as you. I was born with it."

"But I wasn't." Kazuya admitted. "When I was young my father dropped me off a cliff and while I was climbing back up I allowed the devil to take over my body."

"Why would you want that?" Max asked.

"Well, I was eight and I thought I was hallucinating." Kazuya said. "I had no idea what I was agreeing to." He touched his chest where the scar marred the skin under his shirt. "I wanted to be stronger. I wanted to live and it fed off my desire to get revenge on my father." He looked at her. "Speaking of lineage, I know your father – he doesn't have the gene. So that begs the question, who was your mother."

"From what daddy tells us she was a normal woman. They got married. Lived together for years, had me and my sister but one day she just left us." Max said as she looked down at the drink in her hand. Kazuya was the one who poured it and he had taken several sips out of his. Despite that she still wasn't drinking it.

"Do you have anything on her? A name? Where she's from?"

"Daddy was pretty broken up about it. He doesn't talk about her much. Her maiden name was…Tanaka. Kira Tanaka." She laughed. "Ironically dad used to call her 'Angel'." Kazuya lifted an eyebrow. He left out a chuckle before he downed the rest of his drink.

"That is ironic." He said. "Believe it or not I actually know her."

"Really!" Max said.

"Unfortunately for you and your father Kira Tanaka isn't real. She never was. She just took on that form in an attempt to make an entity that could combat Jin. I'm guessing she chose your father because he had nobility. She was trying to make a cross breed like Jin using Angel gene instead."

"Great. So I'm even more defective than I thought."

"Not necessarily." Kazuya said. "I've seen Angel heal the devil gene before. During a tournament she possessed Jin's mother and healed his manic state before disappearing. When we were in that garage, you did the same thing but…" he trailed off.

"I didn't suppress the gene, I took it's energy. I absorbed it." She said. "But that doesn't make sense. I've touched Jin a ton of times." Kazuya snorted and she tried not to glare at him. "I've never been able to absorb his powers."

"That's because he's another half breed." Kazuya said. "Like you he was born with the gene. But he has both devil and angel in him."

"He never told me that." She said as she looked down. "Are there any others like us?"

"From my intel there is another girl. Surveillance of her shows that she has the healing abilities of Angel. Understandable seeing how she's Jun's niece. But from what I've seen she's not a threat like you."

"What? How is she different from me?" she asked.

Well for one thing Angel chose the Kazamas'. It seems when she plotted to procreate with a human in hopes of vanquishing Jin she somehow tainted your abilities." He said with a shrug.

"Jin is only four years older than me. How could she have known he'd do anything bad at that age?"

"You don't get the visions?" He asked. She just stared at him. "They are something like premonitions. Undoubtedly Angel had one which is why she sought out your father. I've had them ever since devil possessed me. Sometimes they come in my sleep – other times like omens, appearing from nothing. It's probably why Jin kept you under lock and key. He more than likely foresaw something that frightened him."

"Oh say like us breaking up and me ending up in his father's hotel room." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Don't try to justify his ridiculous behavior."

"Okay." Kazuya said, like it was no problem. Max had never met a more dysfunctional family. Fathers throwing their children off cliffs. Sons trying to destroy their ancestors through the secret dealings of their companies. Adopting kids just to pit them against their biological, genetically enhanced hell spawn. It made her family lifestyle look normal.

"Tell me about your brother. The one that thinks no one knows about him being Heihachi's son."

"Lars?" He asked. She nodded. "So far he is not a threat. Just annoyingly nosy. I'm surprised he isn't here trying to get his hands on you to find out what you know about the Zaibatsu."

"Well, you can save your breath on that question because I don't know anything – thanks to your son." Max said. Kazuya just looked at her for a moment. They had been talking for a few hours. He figured he only had a few more minutes with her before she made up some excuse to leave.

"Do you think you can give the energy back?"

"Huh?"

"The energy you siphoned from me. Do you think you can give it back?"

"Well…I…I honestly don't know. I could exude a little of it and you could absorb it back – I guess." He just held out his hand. She slid her fingers into his palm and concentrated. Pretty soon she could feel energy leaving her – flowing through her arm and out her fingers and into him. For a few long moments they were linked. Her heart slowed to the same pace as his. She opened her eyes and met his gaze. The waves of energy were back around him – making his dark eyes shine and his skin radiate warmth. She leaned closer but jumped back when her cell phone rang. It surprised her because she had just gotten a new not three hours ago. She let go of him and he sighed. She looked at the phone – even though she didn't have it programmed yet she recognized the number.

"Hello?"

"Max…" She smiled hearing Jin's voice on the other end. "I'm sorry." She held back a happy sob and listened. "I shouldn't have…kept you in the dark. You were right. If you come back to me I'll tell you everything - I promise."

"You better." She said, pretending to be angry. "Where are you?" she asked. Kazuya watched as she got the information and downed the rest of his drink. "Bye."

"Do you believe him?" He asked as soon as she hung up. She looked at him as if she had forgotten he was there. He must've had sharp hearing to be able to pick up their conversation.

"He's never lied before. Just…withheld information." She answered. He stood up and walked to her. She watched as he took her phone and put a number into it.

"Just in case his answers aren't sufficient." He said and handed it back to her. She looked at the name he had given his number and chuckled.

"Okay…Plum."


	3. Chapter 3

Worlds Worth page 3

Max looked down the hall when she knocked on Jin's hotel room door. His body guards had been at the main entrance, the elevator and there was one currently giving her the eye as she stood there and waited. Jin was keeping a low profile – he had taken up in a regular room instead of the penthouse suite he'd usually get. She knocked again and she heard rapid movement on the other side.

"Coming!" Jin called out before he flung the door open. He seemed surprised to see Max even though he had just called her not thirty minutes ago and begged her to come talk to him. Without a word he grabbed her arm and pulled her inside. The guard outside got a face full of wind when Jim slammed the door in his face. He locked it before he wrapped his arms around Max.

"Mmph!" she yelped when he kissed her.

"I'm sorry." He said before he did it again. He held her to him – desperately trying to hold on to her and kiss her at the same time. "Max, I'm sorry for everything."

"Jin stop it!" She shoved him away and he immediately looked ashamed of his actions. "Jesus I came here to talk to you but if you can't do that…" she stomped towards the door.

"No!" He held the door closed before she could even reach for the knob. "I'm sorry. Let's talk." She looked at him warily before she crossed her arms.

"Sit down." She ordered. He moved to sit on the bed and she put her back to the door. "Well?"

"What do you want to know?" He asked.

"What are you?" His eye brows went up at the question. "And don't say 'human' because we both know that ain't true."

"I'm… a hybrid – it's the only word I can think of to describe it. My father is the embodiment of the devil and my mother is—**was** purity personified. An angel."

"Simply put you're one fucked up little—

"And you're so normal." He growled. He immediately regretted it when he saw the look on her face. He had never been so crass with her. It was shocking but not in a bad way. He had always treated her like some fragile ornament. She knew being forced to tell the truth and other things he didn't want to say out loud would bring out a different side of him. "Look, Max all I've done for you—

"To me." She corrected him. And he let her have the quip.

"Has been to protect you from **this**." He said – frustration evident in his voice. "My father. How dangerous these powers can be. I didn't want anyone to suffer what I've been through with my so-called family. Trying to keep whatever the hell this is inside me, in check so I don't hurt anyone or destroy the planet."

"That's a bit dramatic."

"You think I'm joking? Max, they'd use you – ask for everything you have to give and when you fail to meet their expectations, when you refuse to take their orders anymore they'd throw you to the wolves."

"Or off a cliff."

"I see you been talking to my father." He said as he glared at her.

"I've been listening." She corrected him.

"I wish you could understand why I did what I did." Jin hung his head and sighed. "I really do love you. I was scared—

"Were you going to kill me when you first found me?" she asked suddenly. His head shot up and he stared at her.

"What?"

"I was thinking about when we first met. Before the end of the fifth tournament. I know you heard about my powers from the other competitors. I know you can feel it when other people with these powers are around… when we did come face to face you hesitated. I'm wondering if you were trying to decide whether to kill me or not." She explained.

"You want the truth?" He asked.

"That would be nice."

"I was planning on it." Jin said as he got up. He turned and looked out the window as he tried to recall how he felt that day. He had been furious – on a warpath to get to Kazuya and Heihachi and end things for good. But he had been distracted by rumors of another fighter, mowing through their opponents and exhibiting super natural powers. He decided to check it out, take care of it should the rumors be truth. When he made it to the stage and she turned to face him he found himself cured of his rage. He just stared at her until she crouched into her fighting stance. She asked if he was ready and he said no. Instead of fighting he talked to her. And when she told him about her powers he had the Tekken Forces detain her. He didn't see her again until he took over the Zaibatsu. She had been angry with him at first but when he invited her to stay in the mansion, gave her everything she asked for in exchange for letting his scientist study her abilities they—

"What changed?" She interrupted his thoughts.

"I would think that was obvious." Jin said as he turned to her. "I've been in love with you since the day I met you. I gave you what I thought it would take for you to love me back but… you ended up hating me."

"I don't hate you, drama queen." She sighed. "I just wish… I don't know what I wish but I definitely want to know more about everything. You don't have to shield me. I already have a father that does that." Jin smiled a little when she did. "And yes, I have been talking to yours and he explained pretty much everything to me."

"He believes in full disclosure, no matter how damaging it can be." Jin said and rolled his eyes.

"I want to see him again."

"No." Jin said without hesitation.

"Jin—

"Did you really expect me to say yes?" He asked.

"I can absorb his powers." She blurted out. Jin went silent. "I've never been able to do that to you." She moved to him and took his hand. She tried but she felt nothing. "Being able to see him, to interact with him will help me get a better gauge of what I can do."

"Next you'll want to have tea with Heihachi." Jin said a little flustered. She knew he was going to say yes, he just needed to accept it first. "You can't see him unless I'm with you. And if I can't go when you want to then you can't."

"Gonna give me a curfew too?" she asked as she let go of his hand.

"Damn it, Max. I mean it. He's dangerous!" Jin said. "Just cause he was pleasant for a few hours doesn't mean he'll stay that way."

"Fine." She crossed her arms. "But no more of this 'lockdown' shit. If I go back to Japan with you I have full freedom to leave the house when ever I want with or without guards."

"Done."

"No more pat downs. No more clearance numbers."

"Done." Jin agreed. "But I am going to remind you that you were poisoned."

"And even with all your security it still happened."

"Point taken." Jin said. They stared at each other for a moment before he moved closer to her. "So do you forgive me?"

"For now."

"You staying here tonight?" He asked hopefully.

"You think an apology and a few promises are going to make me jump right into bed with you?" He grabbed his coat before he moved for the door.

"No." He answered. "I'm also taking you out to dinner." She snorted.

* * *

"Cassandra… Cassandra wake up." She groaned and opened her eyes. She looked up and her vision cleared.

"Papa?" She sat up and looked at her bedside clock. "It's three in the morning. What's…" She trailed off and sighed. "He's gone isn't he?" Baek simply held up some clothes for her and she let of a frustrated grunt as she flung back her bed sheets. "Stupid, ginger, bike-wrecking, stupid, stupid shit—"

"That's enough of that." Baek said before he handed her a set of keys.

"Papa…not that I'm questioning your teachings but why did you put me in charge of him? He doesn't listen to me." She tied the drawstring on her pants and shrugged on her cropped jacket.

"He does. This is his way of testing you. He runs off, does something bad – if you don't catch him he just keeps at the same pace. If you do catch him he trains harder to make it further next time." He explained.

"Is that really what it is? Or is it because you turned fifty?" She asked. He gave her a look and she rolled her eyes as she stepped into her shoes. "I'll be back for breakfast." Cassandra set out for the city, rolling by Hwoarang's usual hangouts and finding nothing. She sat in a parking lot for a few minutes before she decided to check out where his rivals used to dwell. One warehouse in particular seemed to be teeming with activity so she parked and headed inside.

"Whoa there little lady." A man standing out front put his hand out and stopped her. He allowed a few other guys to run inside before he paid attention to her. "You don't look like hired entertainment."

"That's cause I'm not."

"Would you like to be?" he asked. "You got some nice big titties." Cassandra quirked an elbow before she kicked him as hard as she could in the nuts. He went down with a wheeze. Her actions caused a few of his friends to take notice of her. She ignored them and went inside. She found a small fight ring, a few guys standing around watching Hwoarang try to win in a knife fight with no weapon of his own. He already had a little cut on his right hand but his cocky smile led her to believe he was what caused most of the bruises on the other guys face. He punched him quickly, twice – before the guy swiped at him and he had to jump back. The guy was about to swipe at him again when Cassandra walked up beside him.

"The fuck?"

"Cassandra! Move." Hwoarang said. "I'm in the middle of something."

"My foot is about to be in the middle of your narrow ass if you don't get in the car and come home." She said.

"Your bitch is crazy." The guy said as he moved around her. "Beat it cunt before I put you on the rag with this." He brandished his knife and Hwoarang hissed through his teeth. He backed up and the man looked at him.

"Man, you are so dead I don't wanna get pulled into the gravity of your ass beatin'." He said. The guy looked at him oddly before he turned back to Cassandra. He was barely facing her before her foot connected with his jaw. He went flying into another bystander - both were unconscious by the time they rolled to a stop. Everyone else just bolted from the building. Hwoarang smiled when she turned to him.

"Home, now!" She snarled. She yelped when he tackled her to the ground. "Eh-ja!" she tried to push his away. "Nwajweo!"

"You want me to drive all the way home after doing that. You know how I get." He said as he held her arms to the dusty ground. "Kiss me." He demanded. She huffed in frustration.

"Not here." Cassandra turned her head to the side when he leaned in. He ended up pressing his tongue to her cheek – giving it a wet kiss before he realized it wasn't her mouth.

"Can't fool around with your dad in the house." He rationalized. "You come in here, fucking up things. Being all badass and commanding. You know what that does to me."

"Yes, I can feel that." She tried to get her leg free. Or at least away from his grinding hips.

"I bet you're soaking wet right now."

"Hwoarang…" She sighed when he pressed his forehead to hers. "Call me a romantic but I really don't want to have sex on a dirty floor with two unconscious men twenty feet away from us."

"Where ever you have in mind better be close." He said as he leaned in for another kiss. He snuck one hand between them and pressed his fingers into her crotch.

"Ah!" She yelped and he took advantage of her open mouth. As they kissed she wondered when she had started allowing this kind of behavior from him. It had been a situation similar to the one they had been in. She had been tasked with watching him as he did his misdeeds and she became infuriated with his arrogance and ended up beating the crap out of the gang of men trying to take him on. Without a word he had grabbed her and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Not the first in her life but quite possibly the best. They hadn't had sex that time but he had guided her hand down the front of his jeans – snaked his fingers between her legs and they rubbed each other to completion. It was exhilarating and just about the most exciting thing she had ever done. But now it seemed he misbehaved just to get a rise out of her. "Not here!" she screamed and jabbed him in the side. His old injuries making him cringe and roll to the side. She jumped up and stared at him – panting and wide eyed. He glared at her for a second before he got up. She took a step back, suddenly remembering what a dangerous man he was. Why her father taught him to be even more of a threat with Tae kwon do was beyond her.

"As you wish princess." He said calmly. He held out his hand and she looked at it before sliding her fingers into the palm of his glove. He pulled her to him and tickled her. She giggled and squirmed in his arms. "You got the car?" he asked.

"We're not doing it in the car." She answered as they walked out.

"Well Cas, be prepared to explain my ragging boner to your dad." Hwoarang flinched when she moved to back hand him. He caught her wrist and chuckled.

"You're making it my fault that you get wood from watching me fight?" She asked.

"Ever since we were twelve – I can't help it." He admitted.

"Are you acting this way just so we can have sex?" she asked.

"No." He answered simply. "Not everything is about you. You just happen to be a very big side bonus."

"Asshole!" She swung at him again and this time her fist connected with his cheek. He reeled back. When he straightened he dropped down and swept her legs from beneath her. She glared up at him.

"That's not how I meant it, you hot headed little brat." He said. She got up and moved to leave. "What I meant was that…hm…okay maybe I did mean it that way." She glared at him. "Look Cas I'm just living my life here and it used to be meaningless fight after fight. Training to be in the tournament and never getting the chance to beat that smug bastard Kazama. It was going nowhere – over and over again." He grabbed her hand to stop her from walking. "But then you came along and suddenly the fighting wasn't so meaningless. Now when I act up, you come along and challenge me. You some how always find me and that means I have to try harder next time so it takes you longer. But so far I haven't been able to slip by. Before nobody cared what I did, if I got hurt, who I hurt." He pulled her closer and rubbed the back of her hand against his cheek. "My sexy little nanny."

"…You are a very disturbed man aren't you?" she asked. He reached in her pocket and took the keys to the car.

"Yeah, but you like it…get in." He ordered before nudging her towards the passenger side.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he slid into the drivers seat.

"It's a surprise."


End file.
